imprint...

... i was reminded yesterday and then again this morning of the value we bring to the lives of those souls we call friends. we do make a difference and most of the time we are not aware of that fact. we touch lives and leave an imprint. and when the imprint fades away, we need to touch them again. and again. God made us for connection and intimacy. and when we pour out, we are filled. that is a truth that can only be explained by God.

random thoughts on a rainy memorial day...

i love just sitting here with my coffee watching the rain come down.
it is that kind of rain that is diving straight down to the ground... with purpose.
it is very quieting - yet it is pouring.

i am thankful for those that serve this country and fight for this country so we can have freedom,
but it is from a distance.
i do not know anyone personally that is or has been at war.
so it all seems less "personal" to me.
strange.

i find i am very much looking forward to seeing an old high school friend that i have been able to get in touch with via facebook. we have not seen each other since we graduated in 1976. our lives have taken us to different places and experiences, yet as we reconnected there is a "kindred spirit" between us. i am so excited to see her face and talk.

God is not so much concerned about how we "feel" about love or whether we are loved or not loved by others... but i think He is most aware and looks at how we love others. He tells us often about loving others. i want to have that focus. less about me - more about loving all the people He puts in my life.

i want to be productive today around my house, yet i am so content to sit and write and "be". this WILL be the challenge for me today...

..just me

many people label me as an extrovert
umm... not so much. i think i land in the middle of the road between extrovert and introvert.
maybe over the years i have settled more into who i really am. who God really made me to be. maybe.
i am content in knowing that i am energized by being with people. but not a party kind of atmosphere. i am energized with one on one conversations where we are talking/sharing at a deep level of where we live life. that energizes me. not the chit chat of everyday life.
i am also energized by being alone - with my thoughts and emotions and being able to sift through them and come to some solid conclusions about life, my life and those around me.
i am also energized by hiking (long hikes) and working out - and being in my yard creating beautiful spaces.
so.. i am just me.

..hit and run interaction

..."God created us for abiding companionship, not just hit and run interaction."

ouch! i just read that from an article about friendships. i agree with that statement with all my heart and i long for those friendships that are "abiding". i have had a busy week... well, actually a busy month, okay well, a busy year if i am to be honest. i could not wait to sit down this morning and read and think and write and pray. i generally can park my thoughts on "friends" in my life. my hearts desire is to be an influencer - an encourager of those souls that God places in my path. and i am always amazed at the most beautiful people He allows me to gently love. i know when "one" has arrived because they lay on my heart and i love them without all the formality of actually getting to know who they are as a person. i just love them.
i am not a lover of hit and run interaction. i am not wired that way and don't want my friendships to be labeled in that way. but, in the busyness of the times, in reality that does happen.
so i work at cultivating the soil of my friendships.
it is in my heart to love them and abide with them.

... a longing

... it has been a good week. full. fast. i can tell it's friday.
i am longing for quiet - my chair at home - my journal - my favorite pen
and enough time and quiet to spill out some thoughts that wrap around my heart.
tomorrow...